Eric Khoo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eric Khoo
Khoo at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2024
Born	Eric Khoo Kim Hai (1965-03-27) 27 March 1965 (age 60) Singapore
Alma mater	United World College of South East Asia City Art Institute, Sydney
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer cinematographer
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Kim Eun Choo ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	4
Parents	Khoo Teck Puat (father) Rose Marie Wee (mother)
Chinese name
Chinese	邱金海
Hanyu Pinyin	Qiū Jīnhǎi

Eric Khoo Kim Hai, born on March 27, 1965, is a famous film director and producer from Singapore. Many people say he helped bring Singapore's movie industry back to life in modern times. He is known for making unique films that have been shown all over the world.

Early Life and Learning

Eric Khoo and Jeanette Aw at a DVD premiere for Ramen Teh

Eric Khoo was born in Singapore. He was the youngest of 15 children from his father, Khoo Teck Puat, and his second wife, Rose Marie Wee. His mother loved movies very much, and she introduced him to films when he was only three years old.

He went to the United World College of South East Asia for his education. Because he loved movies so much, he later decided to study how to film movies, called cinematography. He studied this at the City Art Institute in Sydney, Australia.

Amazing Film Career

Eric Khoo has made many films that have been shown at big film festivals around the world. These include famous festivals like Venice, Berlin, and Rotterdam.

His movies Mee Pok Man and 12 Storeys were shown at over 60 film festivals. In 1998, a magazine called Asiaweek named him one of the top 25 trendsetters in Asia. The next year, he was listed as one of Asiaweek's leaders for the new millennium.

Producing Other Films

Eric Khoo also helped produce other successful movies. He was an executive producer for the funny local movie Liang Po Po – The Movie (1999). He also produced One Leg Kicking (2001). Both of these were the highest-earning local movies in Singapore for their years.

He also produced 15 (2003), directed by Royston Tan. This film was shown at the Venice Film Festival and Sundance. Eric Khoo also worked on TV shows. He was an executive producer for DRIVE (1998) and Seventh Month (2004). These TV shows helped new, talented filmmakers get started.

Important Achievements

In 1997, Eric Khoo was the first person to receive the Singapore Young Artist Award for Film. This award is given by the National Arts Council. He also helped write a special report that led to the creation of the Singapore Film Commission. This commission helps support the film industry in Singapore.

In 2004, Khoo directed his third main movie, Be With Me. This film was chosen to open the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. The movie won several awards and was shown at many other film festivals. It was also released in other countries like the US and Europe.

International Recognition

Khoo was a judge at the 10th Busan International Film Festival in 2005. His film Be With Me was the first Singaporean film to be nominated for the European Film Awards in 2005. In 2006, he produced Royston Tan’s film 4:30. He also directed a short film called No Day Off for a film festival in Korea.

The Seoul Independent Film Festival honored Eric Khoo by showing a collection of his films. This was the first time a Singaporean director received such a tribute in Korea. In 2007, he became a board member of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Asia. He also produced Royston Tan's hit movie 881. In the same year, he received the Cultural Medallion, which is Singapore's highest arts honor.

In 2008, Khoo's film My Magic was chosen for the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival. This film won the best film award at the Fribourg International Film Festival. It was also voted the best film of 2008 by the French newspaper Le Monde.

New Projects and Animation

In 2009, Eric Khoo started a new company called Gorylah with Infinite Frameworks. This company focuses on making special types of films. Their first film, Darah, won the Best Actress award at a film festival in Korea. Khoo also produced Sandcastle (2010), which was shown at Cannes.

In 2010, a famous art center in Paris, Centre Pompidou, held a special showing of Eric Khoo's films. He was also featured in a book about the future of film, listing 100 new directors. In 2010, Khoo was the head judge for the main competition at the Locarno International Film Festival.

Tatsumi (2011) was Eric Khoo's first animated movie. It was based on the life and stories of a Japanese artist named Yoshihiro Tatsumi. This film was shown at the 64th Cannes Film Festival. Tatsumi won awards for best animated feature and best film at other festivals. It was also shown at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in North America. In the same year, his produced film 23:59, a movie about ghosts in the army, was the number one movie in Singapore.

In 2012, Khoo was the head judge at the Asian Film Awards and the Rotterdam International Film Festival. He was also the head of the Jury at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2013.

Recent Works

In September 2014, Khoo announced a new drama called In the Room, which was released in 2015. This film explored themes of love and feelings. It was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival and other festivals. The film was later released in Singapore with an R21 rating.

In December 2015, his film Mee Pok Man was restored for its 20th anniversary. It was shown again at the Singapore International Film Festival. Also in 2015, Khoo released a short film called Cinema as part of a collection of films called 7 Letters. This collection celebrated Singapore's 50th year of independence.

He also released a TV movie called Wanton Mee in March 2015. This movie looked at how Singapore's street food scene has changed. It was shown at food-themed film festivals in Spain and Germany. Wanton Mee was also available on Singapore Airlines flights.

In 2016, Khoo worked with other famous filmmakers from Southeast Asia on a project called Art Through Our Eyes. This project brought together directors from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore.

In 2018, Khoo directed Ramen Teh, which starred Seiko Matsuda. This film was the closing film for the Culinary Cinema section at the Berlin International Film Festival. He also started the Scream Asia Festival in Singapore. His latest film, Spirit World, was released in 2024.

Personal Life

Khoo in 2010

Eric Khoo is married to Kim Eun Choo. They have four sons named Edward, James, Christopher, and Lucas.

Selected Films and Roles

Awards and Honors

Eric Khoo has received many awards for his work:

• Best Director for a Short Film at the Singapore International Film Festival in 1994
• National Arts Council, Singapore Young Artist Award for Film in 1997
• Singapore Youth Awards in 1999
• Best Director at the Torino Film Festival in 2005
• Singapore Youth Awards Medal Of Commendation in 2006
• Chevalier de l'ordre des arts et des letters (a French honor for arts and literature) in 2008

See Also

• Cinema of Singapore